Last weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix of Formula 1, Max Verstappen experienced a race full of emotions, avoiding an accident he qualified as a ‘plane crash’. Despite expectations of a complicated weekend at the Spa-Francorchamps venue, the Red Bull Racing driver managed a return to the track dominated by unexpected moments.
After a tough week at Silverstone, the team director, Laurent Mekies, had anticipated challenges on the track, describing it as a circuit ‘that consumes energy’. However, the reality proved less problematic than anticipated. Verstappen started the weekend strong, qualifying for the top positions after a promising Friday.
During the race, Verstappen briefly took the lead at Eau Rouge, although he acknowledged that it wasn’t the best strategic decision. He commented that during the race, he was surprised by how quickly Charles Leclerc approached on the left, referring to the Ferrari driver as a ‘red rocket’.
Verstappen, with a well-known frankness, stated: “I expected Kimi [Raikkonen] to pass me, but when I looked in the rearview mirror, I only saw a red rocket coming. So I thought, ‘hold my line, because if I move here, we’ll end up with a plane crash.'” This symptomatic comment reflected the intensity of the competition this season.
The team boss of Mercedes, Toto Wolff, acknowledged that several of his drivers were also facing similar issues with battery energy during the race. Verstappen closed his comment with a light touch of humor, stating: “Welcome to F1 2026. Sometimes it can be a jungle.”
Despite the difficulties, Verstappen felt satisfied with his podium, considering that the weekend had been easier than he had anticipated. He pointed out that the balance of his car was not optimal during his second tire stint, and that this had affected his performance.
The Dutch driver concluded that despite the adversities, the result was positive and looked forward to the future with optimism for the next race.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
